Scope: Urban Futures: Youth action for inclusive, climate-resilient urban food systems
Reports to: Regional Coordinator, Urban Futures
Level: Medium Project Officer
Countries: The post will be based in Ecuador
Hours a week: 40
Start date: April 15st, 2023.
Job context
Hivos' Urban Futures (UF) program (2023-2027) aims to contribute to more inclusive, climate-resilient cities and urban food systems, where young people collaborate to voice their priorities, influence decisions, and seize opportunities in the food sector, with shorter value chains providing healthy, sustainable food that is accessible, affordable, and attractive.
We aim to achieve this in 10 cities in 5 countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe). Program implementation will be led by local partners in each city, taking a climate justice approach in line with Hivo's strategic compass. To achieve this, we aim to achieve the following outcomes:
- Inclusive youth-friendly urban food policies and strategies are developed and implemented, with decision-makers held to account.
- Youth-led narratives on inclusive climate-resilient food systems inspire behavior change.
- Increased public and private financial flows to inclusive, climate-resilient food systems.
As fund and program manager, Hivos will engage partners and innovators (especially young people) and provide grants and demand-led technical assistance, capacity building, and lead on linking and learning, advocacy, and communications, including through the expertise of the RUAF Global Partnership on Urban Agriculture and Food Systems. The inception phase of 2023 further localizes the framework and co-creates city strategies with local partners and experts. Through this, we harness the energy and expertise of partners to stimulate locally-owned innovations and multi-stakeholder collaborations.
About the role
This advert is for the Linking, Learning & Communications Officer (LLCO) for Colombia and Ecuador for the Urban Futures program. This post will be responsible for developing communication strategies in line with the overall program strategy, organizing communication activities, and developing communication materials that contribute to the program/project results supporting the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and Linking and Learning (L&L) actions, in line with the overall program plan and coordination with local partners.
The LLCO will be line-managed by the UF Regional Coordinator, who will provide strategic oversight and support and work closely with the Urban Food Systems & Advocacy Lead. The LLCO will liaise with and support their regional counterparts (Regional LLCO in South Africa and Indonesia) to ensure vital cross-learning, strategic and coherent communications across the program, and a cohesive monitoring and evaluation plan, under the supervision of the Global Design, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (DMEL) officer.
It is anticipated that the LLCO role will take approximately 50% on Communication, 10% on M&E, and 40% on L&L, although these will overlap in practice.
Communications refer to ensuring that all communication activities are aligned with the program's communication strategy and with Hivos' corporate Communication while offering robust communication support for the regional office and the program, supporting, and coordinating local partners (to ensure the visibility of the program and its partners). Occasionally organizes online and offline communication activities and develops and disseminates communication materials, following Hivos and donors' guidelines. This position will work closely with the Indonesian LLCO officer as the lead of the communication team for this project.
L&L in this context refers to activities and processes towards boosting collaboration, exchange, learning, collective intelligence, innovation, and the application and gathering of new knowledge within the UF program network of partners, rightsholder groups (especially young people), and Hivos global and regional teams, as well as beyond the program across Hivos, with the funder, and through relevant external networks and platforms. This position will work closely with the South African (SAF) LLCO officer as this project's Linking and Learning (L&) team leader.
M&E within the L&L framework will provide efficient and coherent data and valuable and timely information for decision-making, communications, and L&L activities. While these tools and methods are contextually appropriate for the program's stakeholders, alignment will be ensured with relevant Hivos methods, tools, and strategies (e.g., the KM&L strategy, M&E framework) and the donor DMEL way of working.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Communications
- Develops and implements the program communication activities and associated projects with the support of the Indonesian LLCO in his/her role as global COMMS lead.
- Creates a communication strategy aligned with the overall program strategy, organizes communication activities and develops communication materials contributing to the program/project results.
- Coaches and advises staff and local partners to organize online and offline communication activities and develop and disseminate communication materials. Promote and coordinate the elaboration of communicational products (e.g., eBooks, booklets, pamphlets) about the program and related projects' development with local partners.
- Maps different international and regional news outlets and communications networks (social media) relevant to the project objectives. Devises strategies to promote the involvement of external audiences with the program (e.g., Journalism contest, comms workshops).
- Writes texts for websites and social media, develop graphic assets for websites and social media (infographics, videos, illustrations, and others), and supports Social Media content with Add campaigns when needed.
- Profiles and positions Hivos and local partner views through communications strategies, activities, materials, and products, including writing texts for the Hivos website, social media, and external platforms (e.g., op-eds) and organizing other forms of content (e.g., video, infographics, illustrations)
- Supports and advises the Regional Coordinator, LLCO, and global team to ensure coherent program communications across regions and at the worldwide level.
- Positions the program and its milestones, including those related to direct implementation and regional and national events, workshops, and other key meetings. Coordinates and develops activations and virtual events throughout digital platforms (e.g., Webinars, interviews, etc.).
- Co-coordinates with Hivos regional and global Comms team, the harmonization of the regional and global comms, plan into the communicational strategy/plan of the organization. Support the DMEL and Global Communication Hivos Officers in the program's communication plan for international audiences. Supports the Urban Food Systems Technical Lead on communications to support global advocacy strategies, for example, with decision-makers and for important positioning events.
- Others, as requested by the Regional Coordinator.
Linking and Learning
- Supports the development of a global and regional learning strategy, including co-developing a learning agenda and questions and supporting a continuous re-evaluation, re-thinking, re-tooling, and re-shaping of the system, with program staff and partners, in line with Hivos adaptive management with the support of the Global DMEL officer and the SAF LLCO in his/her role of global L&L lead.
- Presents effective and timely results for promoting exchange, social learning, capacity-building, innovation, and other L&L actions and opportunities linked to the Programs strategies working in close collaboration with the local partner organizations, Hivos, the Global Partnership on Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Food Systems (RUAF), as well as external allies.
- Co-coordination of social learning platforms and communities related to the Program themes to share and recollect innovative knowledge to raise awareness, strengthen learning, improve, replicate, and promote collective intelligence among partners and allies.
- Support and advises the teams to promote leadership development and capacity-building processes among partners and allies, emphasizing virtual ecosystems and distance learning (virtual and non-virtual) in both countries and co-creating regular activities across all regions.
- Co-creates and implements strategies and activities to expand the coordination of networks of youth leaders and organizations that work in climate action and food systems, considering gender and intercultural approaches.
- Provides L&L technical support to partners, reviews technical reports, and works with them on their and other subcontractors' technical activities with the support of the SAF LLCO in his/her role as global L&L lead.
- Coordinates producing and disseminating of high-quality learning products with local and regional counterparts, including organizing research.
- Co-facilitates a global partner and staff learning community that supports continuous improvement and exchange, including regular online meetings and occasional in-person events.
- Timely submission of concepts or responses to planned or unexpected funding proposals supporting the Regional Coordinator, Global DMEL, and PM.
- Ensures alignment with and contribution to Hivos KM&L strategy, tools, and methods.
Monitoring and evaluation
- Reviews requests adjustments and advises the Regional Coordinator on approving all results and deliveries from local partners/subcontractors.
- Provides support to the Regional Office and local partners on how to plan, monitor & evaluate activities, including review and monitoring of project-based M&E plans to track results or identify gaps. Aid the global DMEL in implementing the M&E plan (tools and system).
- Ensures timely, high-quality M&E is delivered as part of regular formal and informal donor reporting and updates and facilitates external evaluation.
- Manages and updates Hivos internal Project Management Systems (All Solutions) and L&L-M&E system (Smartsheet)
- Quarterly reports on the progress of LLCO, based on the timeline of the project (M&E plan)
REQUIREMENTS
This is a position for nationals or residents of the concerned countries (see above) with the following requirements:
- A bachelor's degree in communications or relevant disciplines. A master's degree and fluent speaking and writing English are strongly recommended.
- Relevant work experience of more than five years of setting up and coordinating communication and learning programs, preferably on Climate Justice.
- Knowledge, experience, and commitment to gender-inclusive climate justice issues, ideally in (urban) food systems, cities, youth engagement, and multi-actor collaboration
- Experience designing and facilitating learning activities, including participatory (research) methodologies and inclusive facilitation, online (through learning communities) and offline (through occasional in-person events).
- Proven ability and experience to work effectively with a diverse range of people in a multicultural environment and across a decentralized global team, building impact with hybrid and blended methodologies and tools.
- Proven ability to effectively document, share, and profile lessons learned and learning processes. Ability to think and act 'outside the box' to increase the impact of MEL and communication activities.
- Ability to position Hivos and partners through effective communications, including writing text and other materials and supporting/coaching colleagues to ensure coherent communications across a diverse global program.
- Experience positioning views at influential international and local levels in diverse media channels is preferred.
- Keen understanding of relevant political and social dynamics; analytical and conceptual skills and the ability to translate these appropriative, timely actions on linking, learning, and communications.
- Ability, experience, and commitment to supporting local ownership of partners, including youth.
- Well-organized, flexible, independent, decisive, and energetic, with an entrepreneurial spirit and working attitude.
- Experience using design programs (Adobe and others) is preferred.
Level skills: collaboration, influence, analytical skills, cooperation, leadership.
Job skills: Communication, Linking and Learning, M&E, and project management
What we offer
We offer a stimulating work environment in a professional international organization with very dedicated staff. We offer a national contract based on Hivos local labor conditions, with a remuneration commensurate with the experience and expertise.
Want to apply
You are welcome to submit your application on the apply button located on the right side tab. You must submit both a letter of motivation and resume/CV (3 pages maximum) in English before 05 April 2023.
Candidates are highly encouraged to provide a clear track record in their CV that matches the requirements of the position elaborated above.
Background check for final candidates
If you are selected to go to the final stage of the selection process, please note that professional references and criminal record certification will be requested due to our Safeguarding Policy*. Exceptions will only be made if there is a prohibition due to local legislation or when the candidate cannot obtain the police records certificate due to activities in LGBT + and Human Rights. We may screen social media (unless applicants indicate that they do not want us to do so). The accuracy of the information in the resume will also be verified.
(*) https://america-latina.hivos.org/quienes-somos/nuestra-organizacion/integridad
Since this is a local position, we will only consider curricula from Ecuador or foreigners with residence or work permit.